Controlling signal measurements in beamforming wireless devices

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for controlling signal measurements in a wireless device with receiver beamforming capability. In an embodiment, the method is performed by a wireless device and includes providing a first indication to a radio node of how the wireless device performs or will perform receiver beamforming, and performing receiver beamforming as part of a signal measurement procedure in accordance with the first indication of how the wireless device performs or will perform receiver beamforming.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for controlling signal measurements in a wireless device with receiver beamforming capability, the method being performed by the wireless device and comprising:
 providing a first indication to a radio node of how the wireless device performs or will perform receiver beamforming; 
 providing a second indication to the radio node of a measurement requirement the wireless device is able to meet, the measurement requirement being determined based on how the wireless device performs or will perform receiver beamforming, wherein the measurement requirement comprises at least one of:
 an association between a number of receive beam sweeps required for performing a measurement and one or more of: (i) a signal level, (ii) a signal quality, and a (iii) carrier frequency or frequency range, 
 a number of beam sweeps required for certain types of measurements, and 
 a number of receive beam sweeps required for measurements as a function of a number of carrier frequencies on which the measurements are to be performed; 
 
 performing receiver beamforming as part of a signal measurement procedure in accordance with the first indication of how the wireless device performs or will perform receiver beamforming and the second indication of the measurement requirement. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the radio node is another wireless device. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the radio node is a radio access node. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first indication is explicit. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first indication is implicit. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving an enabling/disabling indicator from the radio access node, the enabling/disabling indicator controlling whether the wireless device is allowed to perform receiver beamforming. 
 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein performing receiver beamforming includes beam sweeping. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first indication includes a number of receiver beam sweeps required by the UE for performing a measurement. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the number of receiver beam sweeps is based on a signal quality parameter of a signal to be measured. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first indication includes an indication of whether the wireless device can adapt a number of receiver beam sweeps required for performing a measurement, wherein the adaptation is based on whether or not the wireless device is receiving and/or transmitting signals other than a reference signals (RS) used for the measurement. 
     
     
       11. A wireless device for operation in a wireless communication network, the wireless device comprising:
 processing circuitry configured to:
 provide a first indication to a radio node of how the wireless device performs or will perform receiver beamforming; 
 provide a second indication to the radio node of a measurement requirement the wireless device is able to meet, the measurement requirement being determined based on how the wireless device performs or will perform receiver beamforming, wherein the measurement requirement comprises at least one of:
 an association between a number of receive beam sweeps required for performing a measurement and one or more of: (i) a signal level, (ii) a signal quality, and a (iii) carrier frequency or frequency range, 
 a number of beam sweeps required for certain types of measurements, and 
 a number of receive beam sweeps required for measurements as a function of a number of carrier frequencies on which the measurements are to be performed; 
 
 perform receiver beamforming as part of a signal measurement procedure in accordance with the first indication of how the wireless device performs or will perform receiver beamforming and the second indication of the measurement requirement; and 
 
 communication circuitry configured to transmit/receive transmissions to/from one or more radio access nodes in the wireless communication network. 
 
     
     
       12. The wireless device of  claim 11 , wherein performing receiver beamforming includes beam sweeping. 
     
     
       13. The wireless device of  claim 12 , wherein the indication of the measurement requirement is implicit. 
     
     
       14. A radio access node for operation in a wireless communication network, the radio access node comprising:
 processing circuitry configured to:
 receive an first indication from the wireless device of how the wireless device performs or will perform receiver beamforming; 
 receive a second indication of a measurement requirement the wireless device is able to meet based on how the wireless device performs or will perform receiver beamforming, wherein the measurement requirement comprises at least one of:
 an association between a number of receive beam sweeps required for performing a measurement and one or more of: (i) a signal level, (ii) a signal quality, and a (iii) carrier frequency or frequency range, 
 a number of beam sweeps required for certain types of measurements, and 
 a number of receive beam sweeps required for measurements as a function of a number of carrier frequencies on which the measurements are to be performed; 
 
 determine a measurement requirement for a wireless devices to meet as part of a signal measurement procedure based on the first indication and the second indication; and 
 
 communication circuitry configured to configure the wireless device to perform the signal measurement procedure adaptively in accordance with the determined measurement requirement. 
 
     
     
       15. The radio access node of  claim 14 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: receive an enabling/disabling indicator from the radio access node, the enabling/disabling indicator controlling whether the wireless device is allowed to perform receiver beamforming. 
     
     
       16. A method for controlling signal measurements in a wireless device with receiver beamforming capability, the method being performed by a radio access node and comprising:
 receiving an first indication from the wireless device of how the wireless device performs or will perform receiver beamforming; 
 receiving a second indication of a measurement requirement the wireless device is able to meet based on how the wireless device performs or will perform receiver beamforming, wherein the measurement requirement comprises at least one of:
 an association between a number of receive beam sweeps required for performing a measurement and one or more of: (i) a signal level, (ii) a signal quality, and a (iii) carrier frequency or frequency range, 
 a number of beam sweeps required for certain types of measurements, and 
 a number of receive beam sweeps required for measurements as a function of a number of carrier frequencies on which the measurements are to be performed; 
 
 determining a measurement requirement for a wireless devices to meet as part of a signal measurement procedure based on the first indication and the second indication; and 
 configuring a wireless device to perform the signal measurement procedure adaptively in accordance with the determined measurement requirement. 
 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 16 , wherein the indication of the measurement requirement is implicit.